Device for binding books and so forth



Aug. 8, 1939. H. FISCHER DEVICE FOR BINDING BOOKS AND SO FORTH Filed March 15, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 8, 1939. H. FISCHER DEVICE- FOR BINDING BOOKS AND SO FORTH Filed March 15, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Aug. 8, 1939. H. FISCHER DEVICE FOR BINDING BOOKS AND SO FORTH Filed March 15, 1954 Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'DEVICE FOR BINDING BOOKS AND SO FORTH Hermann Fischer, Thalwil, Zurich, Switzerland 10 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for binding books and so forth by inserting a wire spiral into an apertured' pile of paper.

The binding by means of a wire spiral is known per se. Hitherto the wire spiral was threaded through the previously apertured pile of paper by hand. A higher outputis obtained by means of a machine wherein the wire spiral is gripped at one end and from-therethreaded through the holes of the pile. Thepresent invention difiers from this known arrangement in that motor driven exchangeable rollers having annular grooves are providedfor turning and for feeding the wire'spiral axially forwards.

Thenew form of construction possesses many advantages, particularly-there is obtained a very rapidand reliable operation as the entire wire spiral which is being moved is gripped, guided and driven at each of its turns. At least one of the rollers is adjustable so, that wire coils of different sizes can beused for binding; according to the size of the pile of paper and so forth to be bound. As the books to be bound are frequently comparatively short there is used, according to the present invention, a wire spiral, which is as long as possible, from which the length required for binding is cut. The rollers are driven positively by a commonmotor. The motor is stopped automatically by disengaging a clutch or otherwise when the wirespiral has been wound fully into the pile of paper. The wire spiral located in the pile is then cut off. The cutting can be effected by a cutting device actuated by hand or the cutting may also be performed automatically by themachine. The ends of the wire spiral are then bent towards the pile by a subsequent operation so as to prevent release of wire from the pile.

In order to. enable the wire spiral to be inserted readily the device isprovided with a support, on which the pile is placed, and which so locates the pile that the holes therein lie in a circular path along which the end of the wire spiral is fed forwardly.

In the accompanying drawings are shown. two examples of construction of the subject of the invention.

Fig. l is a front elevation and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the first form of construction.

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections on the lines III- HI and IV-IV of Fig. 1.

Figs. 5 to 8 show details to a larger scale.

, Fig. 9 shows to a larger scalea portion of the rollers in side elevation, whilst Fig. 10 shows a cross section thereof.

Fig. 11 is a plan of Fig. 8 (some parts being in section).

Fig. 12 shows a note-book provided with the spiral. 5

Fig. 13 shows in front elevation a second form of construction of the subject of the invention.

Fig.- 14 is a side elevation.

Fig. 15 is a section on the line XVXV of Fig. 13.

In a frame I are rotatably mounted two shafts 2, 3. To the shaft 2 are keyed two levers 4 and to the shaft 3 two levers 5. In the upper ends of each pair oflevers 4, 5 are mounted rollers 6, E5, the latter being provided with uniformly spaced annular grooves l. The rollers 6, 6' are rotated from a hand operated or motor driven gear Ifithrough the medium of flexible shafts 3. The spacing of the rollers 6, 6" may be suitably varied within predetermined limits. For: this purpose there is mounted on the frame I an arm l2 to oneend of which is pivoted a bell crank lever l3. Aspring I4 is connected to one end of the bell crank lever l3 and at the other end to a link i5 keyed to the shaft 2. The link has an extension IS with which engages a screw H bearing against the frame I. To each of the .shafts 2 and 3are also keyed levers I3, 25] connected by a link 2|.

Between the rollers 6,6 are provided distance pieces 2'; engaging with'grooves 23 in the rollers and secured to aholder 25 which is screwed, and consequently readily removable, on two vertical rods 27 movable in columns 26 (Fig. 8). The rods 2? rest ona rail 28 provided with inclined supporting surfaces 29. The rail 28 can be moved by rotating a drum 30 provided with a screw bolt 3| engaging with the rail 28. The rods 2'5 and thus the holder 25 is raised or lowered by the inclined surfaces 29. The drum 3!! is provided with a scale from which the position in height of the holder can be read directly.

. Between the rollers't, 6", but below these, there is rotatablymounted in a bearing 35 a further roller 34. The latter rests at both ends on rods 36 which are guided for vertical movement in bearings 31. The lower end of each rod 36 rests ona rail 33, mounted in the frame I for longitudinal movement'provided with raised portions 33. Into this rail is screwed a screw bolt 42 provided with a drum M having a scale. The roller 34 is driven from the gear I!) by a flexible shaft 33, the condition being that the peripheral speeds of the roller 6, 6 and of the roller 34 are the, same.

The method of operation is as follows:

Before inserting a wire spiral 5 into a pile of paper it is necessary to mount on the rods 21 a holder 25 with distance pieces 24 corresponding with the thickness of the book to be produced and with the diameter and pitch of the wire spiral S. In order that the distance pieces 24 engage easily with the annular grooves 23 of the rollers 6, 6 it is necessary first to increase the spacing between the latter. For this purpose the arm I2 is moved downwardly, whereby the bell crank lever I3 pivoted thereto, rocks the link l5 and the shaft 2 through spring I4. As a result the levers 4 and roller 5 are rocked in the direction of the arrow I (Fig. 4). By the lever connection l92| (Fig. 3) the levers 5 and shaft 6 are rocked in the direction of arrow II. A projection 45 on the bell crank lever l3 has simultaneouslymoved under a projection 41 on the frame i so that the parts l5, 4, l9, 2|, 20 are locked temporarily in position. By adjusting the screw H the increase in the roller spacing may be limited as desired. After mounting the holder 25 pressure is applied to the bell crank lever l3 whereby the projection 46 thereof is disengaged from the projection 41 and thus all the above-mentioned parts return to their initial position shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

By turning the drums 30, 4| the position in height of the holder 25 the roller 34 are adjusted, through the medium of the corresponding rails 28 and 39, to the necessary amount corresponding with the diameter of the wire spiral.

After these preparations have been made a sheets assembled to form a paper pile N (Fig. 10),

are placed vertically in the distance pieces 24 and the gear I and rollers 6, 6' and 34 are rotated. A wire spiral S, which rests on a support 49, is then pushed against the rollers (Fig. 1). These engage the wire spiral and feed it forwardly by turning it about it axis. The forward end of the spiral moves forwardly through the holes L of the paper pile N. These are punched in advance in an accurately adjusted punching machine and when placing the sheets into the distance pieces 24 together assume a radius accurately corresponding with that of the wire spiral (Fig. 10), as the paper pile rests on the support A corresponding with the diameter of the wire spiral.

As soon as the wire spiral has reached the end of the paper pile it comes into contact with a contact spring 50 located at this point. There is thus closed an electric circuit including a magnet coil which attracts a plate 52. Under the action of a spring, a lever 53, previously locked by the plate 52, rocks and releases the pin of the gear clutch 54. The gear I0 is thus disengaged and the rollers stopped. If desired the motor itself could be switched off.

At one end of the bearing 31 is also provided a wire cutting device 56. The wire spiral moves between the two cutting jaws 51 and 58. The cutting jaw 5'! is connected to a lever 59 whilst the jaw 58 is fixed (Fig. '7).

By rocking the lever 59 the jaw 51 passes closely against the jaw 58 and thus cuts the wire. The completely bound book can now be removed. The cutting device could also be actuated automatically by the gear. The ends of the wire spiral are bent over by a device which is not described herein. The device for bending the ends of the wire spiral could also be incorporated in the present device.

The gear is again set in operation by applying pressure to an arm 60, whereby the parts 54, 53 and 52 return to their original position.

The force necessary to press the rollers 6, 6' towards one another is applied by a spring 62 (Fig. 3) which at one end engages with the lever 29 and at the other end to a segment 63 keyed to the shaft 2. By varying the point of attachment of the spring to the segment the spring may be more or less tensioned.

The rollers 6, 6' and 34 are readily exchangeable. The spacing apart of the annular groove 1 must correspond accurately with the pitch of the spiral S which is being used (Figs. 9 and The annular grooves of the separate rollers are also relatively displaced in accordance with the pitch of the spiral, as will be seen clearly from Figs. 9 and 10.

A further form of construction is shown in Figs. 13 to 15. On a base plate 10 is mounted a frame H In the latter is mounted for vertical movement a slide 12 which is held raised by the action of spring 13. In the upper end-of the slide 12 there is mounted for free rotation a roller provided with grooves. The frame H has two bearings 16, H in which are mounted two shafts 18. To each of these are keyed a roller 19, each provided with grooves, and a worm wheel 88 each of which gears with a worm 8| on the shaft 82. On the shaft 82 is mounted a pulley 84 driven by a belt 85 from the pulley 86 mounted on the motor shaft. The motor 88 is mounted on the base plate 19.

In order to enable wire spirals of different diameter to be fed between the rollers 15 and 19 the distance between the roller 15 and the rollers 19 can be varied. The spacing shown in Fig. 14 is the maximum. It can be reduced by pulling the slide 12 downwardly. For this purpose there are provided pulling members 90, 91 and a blade spring 96. By the member 9| the spring 96 may be connected to a pedal not shown in the drawings. The belt 85 rests loosely in the pulleys 84, 86. When, however, the member 9| is pulled downwardly a bell crank lever 94, mounted in the frame H and provided with a pulley 93, is rock'ed through the medium of the transmission members 96, 91. The pulley 93 bears against the belt 85 thus tensioning the latter. The normally running motor thus rotates the rollers 19 through the medium of the parts 86, 85, 84, 82, 8|, 80 and 18.

Adjacent the frame H there are provided on the base plate 10 two supports I00, of which only one is shown in the drawings. On these is mounted a trough Hill, for the reception of the paper pile N, which is exchangeable and movable vertically. The trough has a shape corresponding with that of the wire spiral to be used so that the holes in the separate sheets of the pile are located accurately along an arc. The pile bears against a plate which at the top is provided with slots I03 of which the spacing corresponds accurately with the pitch of the wire spiral to be used. The plate I02, as also the trough Hll are secured to the supports in a readily detachable manner.

The rollers 75 and '19 can be exchanged readily and replaced by others when a wire spiral of different pitch is to be used. In order to enable the rollers to be removed the bearing 16 is removed whereupon these rollers can be moved freely on the shafts l8 and removed. The roller 15 rotates on a shaft 14 secured in the slide 12 by screws. By releasing these screws the shaft 14 can be removed from the slide and thus also therewith the roller 15.

What I claim is:

1. In a device for binding books and the like consisting of a plurality of apertured sheets by means of a wire spiral, and including a holder for holding the holes in the sheets in the path of the separate turns of the wire spiral, the wire spiral being screwed through the holes by being simultaneously rotated and moved axially in guides, the combination comprising a plurality of rollers, said rollers being provided with annular grooves, said grooves being relatively displaced so as to correspond with the pitch of the wire spiral which engages therewith, means for rotating said rollers, and a plurality of distance pieces on said holder, said distance pieces being adapted to engage between said rollers and serving to ensure the spacing between the pile of sheets and the rollers and for guiding said rollers.

2. A device according to claim 1, including driving means for said rollers, a stop in the path of axial movement of said wire spiral, and an electric stop device, the arrangement being such that when the spiral comes into contact with the stop the stop device is actuatedso as to interrupt the drive of the rollers.

3. A device according to claim 1, including bearings, shafts mounted in said bearings, said rollers being mounted on said shafts, a plurality of vertical rods on which said bearings are mounted, horizontally movable rails, said rails having inclined surfaces, said inclined surfaces co-operating with said vertical rods, and means for moving said rails horizontally.

4. A device according to claim 1, including links supportingsaid rollers, means for spreading said links apart and springs between said links, said springs normally drawing said links towards one another.

5. A device according to claim 1, including links supporting said rollers, means for spreading said links apart and springs between said links, said springs normally drawing said links towards one another, cranks associated with said links, said cranks being directed in opposite directions, a connecting rod between said cranks, a sector connected to one of said cranks, and a spring connected at one end to the other crank, the other end of the spring being connected adjustably to said sector for adjusting the tension of the last mentioned spring.

6. Apparatus for threading a spiral binding element into a stack of perforated sheets, comprising rotating means for rectifying the coils of the spiral to a predetermined contour and simultaneously causing its advance along a predetermined path, means for positioning said stack with its perforations aligned with the coils of the advancing spiral, and stop means having a portion thereof located in the path of the advancing spiral for stopping the rotation of the rotating means when the advancing spiral contacts with said portion of the stop means in its path.

7. In apparatus for threading a spiral binding element into a stack of sheets having uniformly spaced perforations along one edge thereof, guiding means for said spiral, pitch rectifying means for said spiral, said guiding means being adapted to cause the advance of said spiral so as to thread the same through the perforations of said stack, adjustable means for positioning said stack so that its perforations lie in the path of said advancing spiral, and means for automatically stopping the advance of said spiral at a predetermined point in relation to the stack.

8. Apparatus for binding books, comprising annularly grooved rollers mounted for rotation, means to rotate said rollers and means to hold apertured sheets between the rollers so that the coils of a spiral binding wire engaged, revolved, and moved endwise by the rollers will be caused to pass through the apertures of the sheets, two of said rollers being arranged in the same horizontal plane and being adjustable toward and from each other and another roller also arranged in a horizontal plane being arranged with its axis in a vertical plane midway between the first named rollers and being adjustable vertically, the means for holding the apertured sheets being arranged between the first named rollers and presents downwardly converging sides which bear against the first named rollers and including means to vertically adjust said sheet holding means.

9. A device for threading a spiral binding element through the perforations of a stack of sheets to be bound, said device comprising means for causing the advance of the successive portions of a spiral binding element along a predetermined path and thereby positively causing the successive portions thereof to conform to a predetermined contour, means for positioning the perforations of the stack in threading relation to the coils of the advancing spiral, and means for stopping the advance of the spiral binding element at a predetermined point.

10. A device for threading a spiral binding ele ment through the perforations of a stack of sheets to be bound, said device comprising means for causing the advance of the successive portions of a spiral binding element along a predetermined path and thereby positively causing the successive portions thereof to conform to a predetermined contour, means for positioning the perforations of the stack in threading relation to the coils of the advancing spiral, said advancing means comprising a pair of elements spaced so as to receive therebetween the stack to be bound and to hold the sheets of the stack against separation, said apparatus also having automatic means for stopping the advance of the spiral at a predetermined point.

HERMANN FISCHER. 

